Not long ago I was attending a ballroom dance, and there were several folks new to the group brave enough to take a few spins around the floor. (Yeah!! Keep it up!) All such nice people, learning something new, exercising, making friends, smiling and even laughing….
One man in particular genuinely impressed me. I sat to chat with him, sensing his uneasiness, and learned that he was a relative of one of the regular dancers who had recently lost his wife of 56 years. He told me he was 80 years old (but I would have thought 70), and shared a bit about how special his wife and his life had been and how much he missed her. I felt for him, yet admired his attitude — appreciating the good life he experienced with a lovely and special woman that clearly had captured his heart. Lucky lady…
So I asked this gentleman if he wanted to try the new step we had just learned. He was agreeable, but quite nervous, confessing that he could really not dance at all. But we gave it a try, and even though he stumbled at first, he did get manage to get around the floor a few times and got the hang of the pattern. It was nice to see him smile. Throughout the evening I asked him to dance. Others did the same.
At the end of the evening as folks were preparing to leave this nice man came up to me and thanked me for encouraging him and asking him to dance. My pleasure! I asked him to come back again and join us. I do hope he will… It is refreshing to meet a kind man. (And one who wants to learn how to dance!)
